Kim Thúy

Born in Saigon in 1968, Kim Thúy left Vietnam with the boat people at the age of ten and settled with her family in Quebec. A graduate in translation and law, she has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer, restaurant owner, and commentator on radio and television. She currently lives in Montreal and devotes herself to writing. Thúy’s short and elegant novels explore the migrant experience and the difficulties that occur when adapting to a new country. Her first novel, Ru, won several prestigious literary awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award. Thúy’s most recent novel,Vi, was published in English in April 2018.

Vi

Penguin Random House

The youngest of four children and the only girl, Vi was given a name that meant “precious, tiny one,” destined to be cosseted and protected, the family’s little treasure. Daughter of an enterprising mother and a wealthy, spoiled father who never had to grow up, the Vietnam War destroys the life they’ve known. Vi, along with her mother and brothers, manages to escape – but her father stays behind, leaving a painful void as the rest of the family must make a new life for themselves in Canada.Viexplores the lives, loves and struggles of Vietnamese refugees as they reinvent themselves in new lands.